Who Can Explain,The Good And The Bad Ghosts In Thai Buddhism?

[Sandman77]

Hello!

i see many ghost houses everywhere in thailand,but i dont know how many ghosts in the buddhism exists,with this topic i want to find this out!

what are the name of the ghosts,the good and bad ones?

and how the can help,or not help people?,no mater someone belive in ghosts or not?

thanks,for your input!

[chiangmaihouse]

Hi, My name is Nan-V. I think and believe that ghosts are real issues, it is that it will be good or bad. We still know them. Because of my father, now deceased, was a ghost. Angels care home, it is a ghost.

Thai people really need to think about these matters, I expect.

For example, people sent food to the spirits and ghosts, we found that we had to dealwith.

People to deliver food to another.

But I happen to have never seen a ghost at all.

Edited August 20, 2011 by chiangmaihouse

[Atmos]

for starters

[khaowong1]

for starters

good one.. thanks...

[IMA_FARANG]

Actually the "ghost houses"...more properly called "spirit houses"... really have very little to do with Budhisim but are actually a hold over from an older Animist (nature/spirit worship) tradition from before Budhisim came to Thailand.

Somehow they got incorporated into Budhisim as practiced in Thailand. Buddha never mentioned "ghosts" as any part of Buddhism, they came in from the local superstitions.

[chutai]

Ghosts can be neither good or bad, as in Buddhist thought there can be no life without matter. So no saksit actually exists. Although as far a spirit houses particularly are concerned ,the Japanese word honzon is worth noting, i.e. an object of worship. If they're what anyone puts their faith into, then so be it. Although it's highly unlikely to reap any benefit. But that is not of course to show disrespect for non- Buddhist traditions, only to see clearly that there is nothing intrinsically of value inherent when applied to animistic superstition.

Edited August 22, 2011 by chutai

[BuckarooBanzai]

The Spirit houses, of which I have two adorning my front yard, are dwellings for the spirits that inhabit your land. Good or bad is an unknown but unless you give them a place to live they may choose to live in your house (or business) which everyone agrees is a bad thing. Thais will always honk when driving by a spirit house graveyard (a place where Thais retire their old spirit houses when they buy new ones). I think the honk is to scare away all the pee so they will not hitch a ride home with them. And just so you know, this is no joke, Thais really believe in this stuff - in my neck of the woods anyway.

[greatflood]

There're only two types of ghost, dress in white or black.

White ghost will have a better life in the next birth. Mostly they are at the small statue at the front of the Thai house.

And black ghost is opposite.

They threat people individually according to their habit..

[Mirth]

Sorry, am not doubting but how you come up with white and black? You see them with your own eyes?

1320145859[/url]' post='4813899']

There're only two types of ghost, dress in white or black.

White ghost will have a better life in the next birth. Mostly they are at the small statue at the front of the Thai house.

And black ghost is opposite.

They threat people individually according to their habit..

[fabianfred]

There are many kinds of non-human beings existing all around us.

Preta ...in the Preta realm which hope to receive merit from those who share their merits obtained from doing something, such as when Thais pour water after chanting or meditation or alms-giving to monks in the morning.

Ghosts... which are often those who die suddenly and are yet unable to accept they have died because they were perhaps atheists, or are strongly attached to a place or person or belongings etc. In the West we would say that the ghost is haunting a place. These are actually stuck in between realms and haven't taken rebirth according to their karma yet.

Devas from the various Deva realms (heavens).... sometimes they misbehave and are punished by living in a certain place for a time. (To illustrate this, a story..... My teacher Luang Por Jaran of Wat Amphawan, Singhburi. There was a time when an old nun at his temple was being pestered by a Deva which insisted she chant a certain chant every night with the Deva at one minute past midnight.** Upon her complaining to LP Jaran he said to do the chanting and also ask the Deva a few questions for him. It appeared that the Deva had been punished for misbehaving with a female deva by having to inhabit a certain large old tree in the temple grounds, for a period of one night and day ...in the Deva realm...equivalent to one hundred years in the human realm. Just before the time was finished and the Deva left to return to its Deva realm it started to make the seeds of the tree (Picul tree), which are in long pods, into funny shapes. The pods started to have exactly 12 seeds, and they were each of the shape of the twelve different animals in the Chinese calender. The villagers collected them as something sacred, and some even had the likeness of the Abbot LP Jaran's head and face. The Deva said that the old tree would fall when it left but LP Jaran was afraid it might damage the old Viharn next to it. When it was time for the Deva to leave the tree fell, and started to fall towards the Viharn, but was suddenly swept to one side as if by a giant hand, and missed causing any damage.

**This is because when the Buddha was alive he used to receive guests from the Deva realms to come and listen to his teachings at exactly one minute past midnight.

Radio signals are in the air all around us, but we need a radio tuned to the correct wavelength to hear them. Beings exist all around us, but we are not attuned to their wavelength to perceive them. Sometimes a person sees a ghost because that ghost there has been a change in the vibrational frequencies between them to enable this to happen.

A person meditating might become aware of certain beings in other realms. A being in another realm might change its vibrations to enable a human to perceive it.

Remember that the number of beings is vast, almost limitless. One simile is that if you took all the beings in the human realm and stood them upon the head of a pin, then the surface of the Earth would be covered in beings from the higher realms.....but if you put all the beings from the higher realms upon the head of a pin, then the surface of the Earth would be covered in beings from the lower realms.

Human realm is the tinyest of all.

A good person has nothing to fear from non-human beings...they will love and respect him. A bad person is in a different situation though. Drunks might become aware of scary things because their distorted perceptions might allow it to happen.

[greatflood]

There are many kinds of non-human beings existing all around us.

Preta ...in the Preta realm which hope to receive merit from those who share their merits obtained from doing something, such as when Thais pour water after chanting or meditation or alms-giving to monks in the morning.

Ghosts... which are often those who die suddenly and are yet unable to accept they have died because they were perhaps atheists, or are strongly attached to a place or person or belongings etc. In the West we would say that the ghost is haunting a place. These are actually stuck in between realms and haven't taken rebirth according to their karma yet.

Devas from the various Deva realms (heavens).... sometimes they misbehave and are punished by living in a certain place for a time. (To illustrate this, a story..... My teacher Luang Por Jaran of Wat Amphawan, Singhburi. There was a time when an old nun at his temple was being pestered by a Deva which insisted she chant a certain chant every night with the Deva at one minute past midnight.** Upon her complaining to LP Jaran he said to do the chanting and also ask the Deva a few questions for him. It appeared that the Deva had been punished for misbehaving with a female deva by having to inhabit a certain large old tree in the temple grounds, for a period of one night and day ...in the Deva realm...equivalent to one hundred years in the human realm. Just before the time was finished and the Deva left to return to its Deva realm it started to make the seeds of the tree (Picul tree), which are in long pods, into funny shapes. The pods started to have exactly 12 seeds, and they were each of the shape of the twelve different animals in the Chinese calender. The villagers collected them as something sacred, and some even had the likeness of the Abbot LP Jaran's head and face. The Deva said that the old tree would fall when it left but LP Jaran was afraid it might damage the old Viharn next to it. When it was time for the Deva to leave the tree fell, and started to fall towards the Viharn, but was suddenly swept to one side as if by a giant hand, and missed causing any damage.

**This is because when the Buddha was alive he used to receive guests from the Deva realms to come and listen to his teachings at exactly one minute past midnight.

Radio signals are in the air all around us, but we need a radio tuned to the correct wavelength to hear them. Beings exist all around us, but we are not attuned to their wavelength to perceive them. Sometimes a person sees a ghost because that ghost there has been a change in the vibrational frequencies between them to enable this to happen.

A person meditating might become aware of certain beings in other realms. A being in another realm might change its vibrations to enable a human to perceive it.

Remember that the number of beings is vast, almost limitless. One simile is that if you took all the beings in the human realm and stood them upon the head of a pin, then the surface of the Earth would be covered in beings from the higher realms.....but if you put all the beings from the higher realms upon the head of a pin, then the surface of the Earth would be covered in beings from the lower realms.

Human realm is the tinyest of all.

A good person has nothing to fear from non-human beings...they will love and respect him. A bad person is in a different situation though. Drunks might become aware of scary things because their distorted perceptions might allow it to happen.

There's a lot of mistakes in this posting!

Even Buddha did not know the truth of ghost and Divine before his ascension as a demigod.

So how should any of his disciple know the truth.

I will tell you after the flood is over.

[greatflood]

Sorry, am not doubting but how you come up with white and black? You see them with your own eyes?

There're only two types of ghost, dress in white or black.

White ghost will have a better life in the next birth. Mostly they are at the small statue at the front of the Thai house.

And black ghost is opposite.

They threat people individually according to their habit..

Of course, I did, one time for each white and black ghost.

The latter gave me a big scream before quickly ran away from me.

Perhaps she's afraid of atheist.

555555555555

[fabianfred]

There are many kinds of non-human beings existing all around us.

Preta ...in the Preta realm which hope to receive merit from those who share their merits obtained from doing something, such as when Thais pour water after chanting or meditation or alms-giving to monks in the morning.

Ghosts... which are often those who die suddenly and are yet unable to accept they have died because they were perhaps atheists, or are strongly attached to a place or person or belongings etc. In the West we would say that the ghost is haunting a place. These are actually stuck in between realms and haven't taken rebirth according to their karma yet.

Devas from the various Deva realms (heavens).... sometimes they misbehave and are punished by living in a certain place for a time. (To illustrate this, a story..... My teacher Luang Por Jaran of Wat Amphawan, Singhburi. There was a time when an old nun at his temple was being pestered by a Deva which insisted she chant a certain chant every night with the Deva at one minute past midnight.** Upon her complaining to LP Jaran he said to do the chanting and also ask the Deva a few questions for him. It appeared that the Deva had been punished for misbehaving with a female deva by having to inhabit a certain large old tree in the temple grounds, for a period of one night and day ...in the Deva realm...equivalent to one hundred years in the human realm. Just before the time was finished and the Deva left to return to its Deva realm it started to make the seeds of the tree (Picul tree), which are in long pods, into funny shapes. The pods started to have exactly 12 seeds, and they were each of the shape of the twelve different animals in the Chinese calender. The villagers collected them as something sacred, and some even had the likeness of the Abbot LP Jaran's head and face. The Deva said that the old tree would fall when it left but LP Jaran was afraid it might damage the old Viharn next to it. When it was time for the Deva to leave the tree fell, and started to fall towards the Viharn, but was suddenly swept to one side as if by a giant hand, and missed causing any damage.

**This is because when the Buddha was alive he used to receive guests from the Deva realms to come and listen to his teachings at exactly one minute past midnight.

Radio signals are in the air all around us, but we need a radio tuned to the correct wavelength to hear them. Beings exist all around us, but we are not attuned to their wavelength to perceive them. Sometimes a person sees a ghost because that ghost there has been a change in the vibrational frequencies between them to enable this to happen.

A person meditating might become aware of certain beings in other realms. A being in another realm might change its vibrations to enable a human to perceive it.

Remember that the number of beings is vast, almost limitless. One simile is that if you took all the beings in the human realm and stood them upon the head of a pin, then the surface of the Earth would be covered in beings from the higher realms.....but if you put all the beings from the higher realms upon the head of a pin, then the surface of the Earth would be covered in beings from the lower realms.

Human realm is the tinyest of all.

A good person has nothing to fear from non-human beings...they will love and respect him. A bad person is in a different situation though. Drunks might become aware of scary things because their distorted perceptions might allow it to happen.

There's a lot of mistakes in this posting!

Even Buddha did not know the truth of ghost and Divine before his ascension as a demigod.

So how should any of his disciple know the truth.

I will tell you after the flood is over.

At least i am trying to give a reasonable answer to the OP's questions....you seem only able to find fault.

Say there are mistakes but do not point out where and show the correct answer??

Buudha was never a demi-god....he did not ascend anywhere....you seem to be seriously out of place in the Buddhist forum.

If you mean that the Buddha, before he became the Buddha and was still a Boddhisatta, did not know things....well that is obvious....but we have his teachings and that of his followers after he attained to Enlightenment...

Now you show us your hand....

[rockyysdt]

This is because when the Buddha was alive he used to receive guests from the Deva realms to come and listen to his teachings at exactly one minute past midnight.

Out of interest Fred.

Which Sutta/Suttas quote the Buddha receiving guests from the Deva realms?

[Mirth]

Sorry, not doubting again but curious, what did the ghost in white do? Sang you a song?

Sorry, am not doubting but how you come up with white and black? You see them with your own eyes?

There're only two types of ghost, dress in white or black.

White ghost will have a better life in the next birth. Mostly they are at the small statue at the front of the Thai house.

And black ghost is opposite.

They threat people individually according to their habit..

Of course, I did, one time for each white and black ghost.

The latter gave me a big scream before quickly ran away from me.

Perhaps she's afraid of atheist.

555555555555

[greatflood]

The white ghost did nothing to me, only show himself. Experiencing only 2 ghosts is not enough to define the truth. But I had listened to ghost radio for many years before I come to this conclusion.

[greatflood]

There are many kinds of non-human beings existing all around us.

Preta ...in the Preta realm which hope to receive merit from those who share their merits obtained from doing something, such as when Thais pour water after chanting or meditation or alms-giving to monks in the morning.

Ghosts... which are often those who die suddenly and are yet unable to accept they have died because they were perhaps atheists, or are strongly attached to a place or person or belongings etc. In the West we would say that the ghost is haunting a place. These are actually stuck in between realms and haven't taken rebirth according to their karma yet.

Devas from the various Deva realms (heavens).... sometimes they misbehave and are punished by living in a certain place for a time. (To illustrate this, a story..... My teacher Luang Por Jaran of Wat Amphawan, Singhburi. There was a time when an old nun at his temple was being pestered by a Deva which insisted she chant a certain chant every night with the Deva at one minute past midnight.** Upon her complaining to LP Jaran he said to do the chanting and also ask the Deva a few questions for him. It appeared that the Deva had been punished for misbehaving with a female deva by having to inhabit a certain large old tree in the temple grounds, for a period of one night and day ...in the Deva realm...equivalent to one hundred years in the human realm. Just before the time was finished and the Deva left to return to its Deva realm it started to make the seeds of the tree (Picul tree), which are in long pods, into funny shapes. The pods started to have exactly 12 seeds, and they were each of the shape of the twelve different animals in the Chinese calender. The villagers collected them as something sacred, and some even had the likeness of the Abbot LP Jaran's head and face. The Deva said that the old tree would fall when it left but LP Jaran was afraid it might damage the old Viharn next to it. When it was time for the Deva to leave the tree fell, and started to fall towards the Viharn, but was suddenly swept to one side as if by a giant hand, and missed causing any damage.

**This is because when the Buddha was alive he used to receive guests from the Deva realms to come and listen to his teachings at exactly one minute past midnight.

Radio signals are in the air all around us, but we need a radio tuned to the correct wavelength to hear them. Beings exist all around us, but we are not attuned to their wavelength to perceive them. Sometimes a person sees a ghost because that ghost there has been a change in the vibrational frequencies between them to enable this to happen.

A person meditating might become aware of certain beings in other realms. A being in another realm might change its vibrations to enable a human to perceive it.

Remember that the number of beings is vast, almost limitless. One simile is that if you took all the beings in the human realm and stood them upon the head of a pin, then the surface of the Earth would be covered in beings from the higher realms.....but if you put all the beings from the higher realms upon the head of a pin, then the surface of the Earth would be covered in beings from the lower realms.

Human realm is the tinyest of all.

A good person has nothing to fear from non-human beings...they will love and respect him. A bad person is in a different situation though. Drunks might become aware of scary things because their distorted perceptions might allow it to happen.

There's a lot of mistakes in this posting!

Even Buddha did not know the truth of ghost and Divine before his ascension as a demigod.

So how should any of his disciple know the truth.

I will tell you after the flood is over.

At least i am trying to give a reasonable answer to the OP's questions....you seem only able to find fault.

Say there are mistakes but do not point out where and show the correct answer??

Buudha was never a demi-god....he did not ascend anywhere....you seem to be seriously out of place in the Buddhist forum.

If you mean that the Buddha, before he became the Buddha and was still a Boddhisatta, did not know things....well that is obvious....but we have his teachings and that of his followers after he attained to Enlightenment...

Now you show us your hand....

So how Buddha know exactly what time those guests did come. Fred, do you believe that India is the first nation which invented the watch?

If Buddha does't get ascension what happened to him after he passed away? And what his LOTUS is for?

After gettng enlightenment doesn't mean you will know everything or anything you know must be the truth. Some even get a big funny delusion after enlightenment;

<<snip>>

Probably in January I will give you all the corrections as a new year gift.

Edited November 20, 2011 by camerata
Trollish, off-topic and personal remarks deleted.

[sabaijai]

This thread is going offtopic and nowhere fast. If no one has any reasonable comments to put forth, perhaps it's time to close?

[Michael2020]

This is because when the Buddha was alive he used to receive guests from the Deva realms to come and listen to his teachings at exactly one minute past midnight.

Out of interest Fred.

Which Sutta/Suttas quote the Buddha receiving guests from the Deva realms?

Maha-samaya Sutta: The Great Meeting

On one occasion the Blessed One was living in the Maha-vana (great wood) near the city of Kapilavatthu in the province of the Sakyans together with a great retinue of monks, all of them arahants, and five hundred in number. Devas (gods) from ten thousand world-systems frequently assembled for the purpose of seeing the Blessed One and the bhikkhu-sangha (ordained monks).

http://www.accesstoi....20.0.piya.html

p/s: Occasionally when I read the term "World System" in the translation, i often wondered it is equal to a our modern term Solar System or Galaxy or Universe/Multiverse? We know that there are billions of Solar System and Galaxies but does we have billions of Universe?

Edited November 21, 2011 by Michael2020

[Polsci]

This thread is going offtopic and nowhere fast. If no one has any reasonable comments to put forth, perhaps it's time to close?

Wait, don't close it just yet!

I can answer the OP's initial questions.

Thai Buddhism? No, you mean Thai animism, beliefs and practices. (IMA_Farang was right.)

Currently I happen to have another book written by one of my favorite authors on the subject.

Traditional Thai Medicine: Buddhism, Animism and Ayurveda by C. Pierce Salguero. Chapter 6: Thai Folk Healing goes on for 20 pages and, IMHO, answers those questions.

From page 76.

Potentially beneficially Phi.

Phi Soo-a Wat

Phi Paa

Phi Khau

Phi Nang Mai

Phi Pluak

Phi Muang

Pra Phum Chaeo Thi (NOTE: This should correspond to OP's observation of "ghost houses." However, IMA_Farang and BuckarooBanzai already responded and correctly identified them as "spirit houses.")

Phi Khru

Pags 73-76

Bad Phi or Phi Tai Hong created through unfortunate, violent, or sudden death

Will put the names in Thai script in the Thai Language.

Hope this helps.

[udonguy]

Actually the "ghost houses"...more properly called "spirit houses"... really have very little to do with Budhisim but are actually a hold over from an older Animist (nature/spirit worship) tradition from before Budhisim came to Thailand.

Somehow they got incorporated into Budhisim as practiced in Thailand. Buddha never mentioned "ghosts" as any part of Buddhism, they came in from the local superstitions.

Actually the "ghost houses"...more properly called "spirit houses"... really have very little to do with Budhisim but are actually a hold over from an older Animist (nature/spirit worship) tradition from before Budhisim came to Thailand.

Somehow they got incorporated into Budhisim as practiced in Thailand. Buddha never mentioned "ghosts" as any part of Buddhism, they came in from the local superstitions.

quite right animism is nothing to do with Buddhism

[udonguy]

This thread is going offtopic and nowhere fast. If no one has any reasonable comments to put forth, perhaps it's time to close?

yes time to close

[zzaa09]

Actually the "ghost houses"...more properly called "spirit houses"... really have very little to do with Budhisim but are actually a hold over from an older Animist (nature/spirit worship) tradition from before Budhisim came to Thailand.

Somehow they got incorporated into Budhisim as practiced in Thailand. Buddha never mentioned "ghosts" as any part of Buddhism, they came in from the local superstitions.

Less we forget, a great deal of deeper spirituality, superstitions, and thought are closer related to the ancient way....the natural fusion with Buddhism has become instinctive.

It's so highly integrated into everyday life for most Thais...